It is with heavy heart that we announce that Jose Carlos Ramalho passed away on December 15, 2020 at the age of 80 surrounded by family.
Jose Carlos is survived by his wife of over 40 years, Maria Enia. He was a loving father to his children Nancy (Jeff), Michael (Anne), Roberta (Dinis), Sandra, Mike (Lucy) and Jeffery (Tammy) and a proud Avo to his cherished grandchildren, Alex, Andrew, Kezia, Hannah, Angel, Joseph, Enya, Eric, Madison, Olivia, and Adriano. He is lovingly remembered by his siblings, Marcilia (Daniel), Clarinda (Manuel) and Manuel (Fatima). He is predeceased by his wife Lucia.
Jose Carlos was born on November 14, 1940 on the island of Graciosa in the Acores. He immigrated to Canada in November 1964, landing in Winnipeg, Manitoba in a snowstorm. He moved to Toronto shortly thereafter, where he raised his family. Jose Carlos took pleasure in his vegetable garden and making his homemade wine. He was a proud member of the Scout Group 78 family and the community of St. Sebastian’s Church.
Jose Carlos received his first cancer diagnosis in 1989 and since then has been an example of sheer determination and strength of will. He was fortunate to have been blessed with an amazing community of friends who supported him throughout his life. A special thank you to John Rosa for his devoted friendship.
His children will remember fondly getting up at 6am on a Saturday to get a “good” spot on the beach at Wasaga, working on an ongoing project in the garage while listening to the soccer matches (Go Benfica!) and going to the Portuguese festas so that dad could listen to the marching bands. A funeral service is scheduled for Saturday, December 19, 2020. Due to current restrictions, this service will be limited to immediate family only. If you would like to honour Jose Carlos, surround yourself with loved ones, have a good meal (preferably charros) and a glass of homemade wine – he liked nothing more. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Toronto Grace Health Centre (torontograce.org) or Scout Group 78 (info@group78.com).